Kent men pretend to be cleaners but are later found with a £1 million cocaine haul at Dover

Two men who pretended to be working for a ferry cleaning company have both been sent to jail after £1 million of cocaine was found in the vehicle they were travelling in.

Kevin Carter, from Manston in Kent and his passenger, Louis Manning-Chamberlain, from Westgate on Sea were attempting to smuggle the class A drugs into the UK through the Port of Dover in August 2018.

Carter, who is 56, presented his security pass, stating he had been working on board a ferry with 30-year old Manning-Chamberlain, as part of his legitimate industrial cleaning business.

Border Force officers searched the car and uncovered a hideaway underneath a pile of rubbish.

Officials then discovered 13 kilograms of cocaine which would have been worth more than £1 million at street level.

NCA investigators found that Carter’s security pass had been revoked earlier in the year but he had continued to use it in an attempt to evade border control.

Officers were also able to prove that Carter had never worked on the ferries, whilst Manning-Chamberlain had worked just a single shift.

Carter was sentenced to nine years in prison and Manning-Chamberlain was sentenced to six-and-a-half years in prison.

NCA Senior Investigating Officer Darren Herbert said, "Carter and Manning-Chamberlain took advantage of their security clearances to try to bypass border checks with their illegal cargo.

"But our investigation proved their cover story was bogus, and as a result they have been handed these sentences.

"The NCA is committed to protecting the public from the serious and organised crime that fuels the drugs trade and will continue our work to tackle it."